Edward Calcott, owner and manager of a broiler farm in the midlands, scored a European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) of 512, setting a new national record for the UK poultry sector. His farm is now the first in the UK to exceed an EPEF of 500, significantly surpassing the previous best of 498 submitted to Aviagen.
Calcott, supplies Pilgrim’s Europe’s and also sources his chicks from Pilgrims’ Newark hatchery and feed from the company’s Ashbourne site.
The EPEF score, a calculation based on average daily weight gain, mortality, and feed conversion, is used worldwide by farmers and producers to measure farm performance. Very few farms worldwide register scores above 480.
Other top performing Pilgrim’s Europe producers include Edward McMahon and Dan Sealey from Horsley Brook Farm and the company’s own team at Beech Farm, Ryan Wright and Andrew Wells, both achieving an EPEF of 500.
Since the start of 2025, Pilgrim’s Europe has already had more than 20 flocks from 20 individual farms score over 450 EPEF, qualifying them for the Ross 450 Club, an initiative by poultry breeding company Aviagen.
Aaron McKenna, head of broiler operations UK at Pilgrim’s Europe said: “Our farmers and farm managers have a long and successful history of scoring in the top percentile for EPEF, and Ed’s result of 512 is a stand-out achievement.”